


Memory Building

by shotguncas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bunker Feels, Cas is tired of not acting on his feelings, Castiel and Feelings, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree, Christmas in the Bunker, Christmas traditions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dean and Feelings, Dean is extra emo after Cas came back, Domestic Fluff, Emotions, Family Feels, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Jack being Jack, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Meaningful presents, Presents, Really this is pretty much fluff, Slow Dancing, Tbh Cas is extra emo too, Team Free Will 2.0, They talk, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Uncle Sam, family pictures, kissing kissing kissing, making memories, soft touches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 02:33:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13114125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shotguncas/pseuds/shotguncas
Summary: After Jack asks his family about Christmas, Dean suggests that they celebrate the holiday in order to build memories. In the middle of all the colorful ornamentation, some feelings are intensified and declarations of love are due to come out.





	Memory Building

 

It was December 22 when Jack went into the library with the game changing question.

“What is Christmas?” He squinted towards Cas, Dean and Sam.

Castiel lifted his eyes from the book, Sam and Dean also taking their eyes from the laptops.

“Uhm…” Cas considered.

“It’s a religious and sometimes cultural celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.” Sam said.

“Oh I remember him. From the bible.” Jack said, proud of himself as he sat on the same table as his family. “Is that why the city is filled with lightbulbs and balls on the trees?”

“Exactly.” Cas smiled fondly. “Nowadays it’s a much more commercial than religious holiday, but it’s a very nice celebration nonetheless. I always enjoyed watching humans during this specific time of the year.” He said, lost in thought.

“What you saw were decorations. It’s what people do… they put up Christmas trees, lights and all kinds of objects to remember history and to celebrate.” Sam explained.

“But… why?” Jack frowned.

“Oh, it’s a custom thing that depends on the culture of the place you live.” Sam continued with a shrug.  “Some of them have a meaning, others just evolved into being called Christmas decorations and ornaments.”

“Also it makes humans very happy.” Cas added when Sam paused. Dean only glanced up from the laptop a couple of times while they talked.

“I bet there’s a lot of things on the internet, you should search all of your doubts. It’s a very interesting topic.” Sam advised.

“I will.” Jack decided. “I found it very beautiful even if I didn’t understand what it meant. Thank you for the information.”

“Wait when did you see decorations, kid?” Dean said, frowning.

“The other day when I went with Castiel to a store.” Jack answered and Dean nodded. “I will research now, excuse me.”

Jack smiled at them and got up, heading back to his bedroom.

The three of them went back to their previous activities on reading. They were getting used to these moments of the day when Jack came with a question and they had to sit and talk until the boy felt satisfied, which usually didn’t take long.

“Should we celebrate Christmas?” Dean asked suddenly, causing Sam and Cas to look at him with squints.

“What?” Sam asked and huffed a laugh.

“Christmas.” Dean repeated. “Should we do something?”

Cas opened his mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say.

“Wait… are you dying again?” Sam said with a grimace, only half-joking.

“What? No!” Dean said in offended disbelief. “I just thought that now we have another person here that never had a Christmas night and morning, you know? We could do this so that Cas and Jack can have the pleasure and I… I don’t know, I mean… it was just an idea.” He shrugged and looked back down at the screen, starting to build a scowl.

“I think Jack would like that.” Castiel said after a couple of seconds of silence. “And I would like that too. A lot.” He smiled at Dean, that little movement of lips he saved only for him.

Dean immediately smiled back at Cas and nodded, closing the smile as soon as he noticed that Sam was still looking at him.

“You’re serious?” Sam said, sitting back. “You want the whole thing? Dinner, tree, presents…?”

“Well… yeah. Why not?” Dean said with a shrug. “It could be nice. Forget about the whole shit we’ve been through for a couple of hours and just eat our problems away while making nice memories.”

Cas couldn’t help the smile on his eyes at the idea.

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Sam nodded and smiled at his brother and then at Cas, feeling the excitement growing inside him. “We can buy each other’s presents and open on Christmas morning like regular people do.”

“I’ll cook us dinner.” Dean decided.

“And we can have a tree, perhaps?” Cas wondered.

“Sure.” Dean nodded.

“I think we have decorations somewhere around here. The Men of Letters seemed to enjoy a festivity.” Sam said with a raise of eyebrows.

“Then it’s settled.” Dean said with a clap of hands before getting up and walking to the War Room, coming back with a wooden box seconds later. “Here.” He said, taking credit cards from inside of it and handing one to Cas and one to Sam.

“I can take Jack with me if you want.” Sam offered to Cas.

“That’s not necessary.” Cas smiled. “I would like to spend some more time with him.”

“Alright then.” Dean said and gave Cas another card. “Let’s keep the presents under $200 bucks, okay?”

Both Sam and Cas nodded and got up to make their plans, Dean doing the same after taking a credit card for himself.

Castiel walked towards Jack’s bedroom and knocked twice before getting an answer.

“Hello, Jack.” Cas said as he walked in and sat on the end of bed.

“Hello, father.” Jack smiled and closed the laptop.

“Dean decided we will be celebrating Christmas this year, so we have to go out to buy each other presents.” Cas explained. “Would you like to accompany me?”

“Yes!” Jack smiled big, his blue eyes shining. “Are we going right now?”

“I think that would be wise.” Cas wondered. “The television says the stores are very crowded this close to the holiday so we should go as soon as possible.”

Jack nodded excitedly and got up to grab his jacket from the chair.

By the time they left Jack’s room, Dean and Sam were nowhere to be found. Cas and Jack quickly went to the garage, and soon were heading to the closest mall.

“You have to buy a present for each one of us except yourself. And you shouldn’t spend more than $200 per present.” Castiel said to Jack once they arrived. The place was just as crowded as he imagined.

“Okay.” Jack nodded, looking around with curious eyes.

“And this is what you use to pay for them.” Cas continued and Jack’s attention went back to him. He handed Jack a credit card with the name _Jonathan Gilbert_. “You give it to the cashier and you type in the password once they ask you to. Yours is 5587, can you remember that?”

“I can. 5587.” Once again Jack nodded, taking Cas’ words very seriously. “But what should I buy?”

“That depends on the person you’ll be gifting.” Cas explained. “Look on the stores, walk and search. Buy something that reminds you of the person, something you think they’ll enjoy, that fits them.”

Jack seemed to think about Castiel’s words for a second. “Okay. I will call you if I need something.”

Castiel nodded and watched as Jack walked straight to a bookstore, looking around to the people walking, to all the decorations and pizzazz. The image reminded Cas of himself when he first became human. With a fond smile, he watched Jack until he disappeared in between the shelfs and then he went in search of the presents he had in mind.

 

***

 

Jack never showed Cas what he’d bought, neither did he ask for help with anything. Cas let him be and tried to show no interest when he saw the boy walking towards the car only with three considerably small bags.

During Saturday the bunker became a real hiding place. The four of them kept scattered around, going after presents, wrapping and keeping them safe until they were needed.

When Cas arrived with his last present it was almost 4 pm. Sam and Dean were whispering to each other on the end of the hallway, so he squinted at them and ran back to his bedroom with the bag of Scotch tape he’d just bought.

After that, Dean went back to the city to buy what he’d need for dinner, using the ride to get one last present, and Sam took Cas’ truck to go buy the tree. Cas decided to look on the deposit rooms to find the decorations and lights, and Jack seemed to be just fine staying in his bedroom with a huge amount of wrapping paper and lace.

Anticipation was building quickly in their minds.

On Sunday afternoon, Dean called everyone into the kitchen, offering mugs of hot chocolate for them.

“Listen up.” He said, standing on the corner of the table and looking down at Sam, Cas and Jack. “You have 3 minutes to get stuff to eat ‘cause from now until tonight I’m the only one allowed in this kitchen unless I say otherwise. Now chop chop.”

With wide eyes, Sam walked to the cabinet and grabbed cookies and chips, Cas went to the fridge for water and Jack stole nougats from the jar before running outside. With their mugs in hand, they left the kitchen and went to the library to start decorating the tree, leaving Dean to do his thing.

“Okay so we can test the lights and put them on the tree before placing the other things.” Sam said, eyeing the tree he’d chosen and feeling satisfied with the place she was at.

Castiel nodded and started stretching the wires and taking them towards the closest power plug. Surprisingly, all of the lights were working and didn’t seem to be planning to start a fire any time soon, so Sam and Cas carefully placed them around the tree while taking good care of how it would look and if the wires were placed on the right places.

While they worked with the lights, Jack was sitting at the floor, fiddling with the boxes of ornaments and gasping at many of them, calling Cas and Sam all the time to look at how beautiful they were.

When Sam and Cas felt satisfied with the lighting, Jack began to place the glass baubles on the branches. Many of them seemed to be handmade, having drawings and small figures around it in a delicate manner. Every bauble reflected the white lights and around an hour later, the setting was shining as a whole.

All the while, the three of them shared anecdotes of how God used to feel tired on Christmas and retired to a beach on Hawaii, or about that one time an angsty teen Dean decided he wanted to break the tree from the hotel room they were staying. Jack paid close attention to everything, his eyes shining with the lights as he absorbed every detail and story about his family.

Later in the afternoon, Sam placed a gingerbread house on the table. Both Cas and Jack looked at him with squints. “I bought the house, we just gotta decorate it.” Sam said but still got confused faces. “It’s tradition, okay?” He waved his hands. “Don’t ask. Decorate. Have fun.”

Castiel sat by Jack’s side and reached for the bags of candy. There were colored gumdrops and candy canes, as well as a bag with icing to keep everything together. They did all the work, trying to think of a steady and controlled system of decoration and getting a few huffed laughs from Sam, who was placing small ornaments on the tables and shelfs.

Around 6 pm, the whole bunker was beginning to be filled with the smell from the kitchen. Sam left quickly and came back wearing a black and white sweater while holding another three.

“I think we should all be dressed appropriately for dinner.” Sam said, grinning. “What monster family would we be if we didn’t wear sweaters during Christmas?” He laughed and gave Cas a red and white sweater.

“I think the sweaters are very lovely.” Jack stated as he got hold of a sweater striped in black, white and red. “I’ll go take a shower now before everyone else decides to go.” He said and walked to the hallways.

“Cas can you give Dean his sweater please? I have one last gift to wrap.” Sam asked, placing a sweater similar to Cas’ on the table, only with bigger figures.

“Of course.” Cas said gently and got hold of the piece of clothing.

When Sam also disappeared towards the hallway, Cas got up and walked to the kitchen, stopping at the door.

“Dean.” He called carefully. “May I come in?”

“Yeah.” Dean answered and Cas stepped inside the kitchen, noticing the amount of activities happening there.

The oven was on, and the stove was completely occupied. Dean was finishing molding a pie in a form by the sink while potatoes were under running water by his side.

“What’s up?” Dean looked behind his back.

“Sam asked me to give you this sweater. You’re supposed to wear it at dinner.” Cas said, placing the sweater on a clean space at the table.

“Seriously?” Dean sighed in annoyance. “Ugh… fine. I did propose the whole thing.”

“Do you need any help?” Cas asked, placing his sweater on the table and walking closer to Dean. “Or no one is allowed here still?” He teased with a smile.

“You can stay.” Dean said and winked at Cas, moving towards the oven to open space for the pie. “It’s not like you’ll keep taking bites from the food.”

Cas looked around. “What can I do?”

“Peal and smash those potatoes, please.” Dean pointed at the sink.

Cas nodded and stood by the sink, grabbing a knife to start his task. They both continued in silence. Even if neither of them could admit or even notice, they loved those moments of simple appreciation of each other’s company. It usually happened during research hours but lately after Cas came back, they were staying a lot in the bunker, and that was providing them with a lot of domesticity and free time.

Not for the first time, Castiel noticed the way Dean cooked with ease. The way he seemed to ignore the big bad things on the world for that amount of time, giving himself into the task. His skilled hands moved from one object to another, stirring the contents on the pans, lowering the fire. He’d often try things with a small spoon, adding more salt or water depending on his reaction.

Dean in its turn would never let another creature aware of how he absolutely loved watching every little thing Cas did. His actions, once robotic and premeditated, were now so free and flexible, the same way his personality had molded into. Whenever he let his guard down, Dean could see that smile he almost never opened, that smile that could light up a whole country, end wars and recharge the sun if it ever died.

It was impossible for Dean to deny that he was feeling things more intensely, possibly due to the way he grieved Cas for a long time. He constantly thought about how he was sucking at hiding his feelings now. Before, he used to find strength to keep his hands to himself, but after getting Cas back all he did was scream at his own mind for lingering his touches, staring for longer than he used to and for looking for reasons to be close to Cas. He tried to stay away, but when he noticed, he was already hugging Cas’ shoulders, ruffling his hair, caressing his arm…

To be honest, he knew he was both lost and found the moment the “ _Hello, Dean._ ” came into his ear that night. From that moment on, his feelings started to crawl away from his grasp with vigor, going from that ambiguous “ _I do._ ” to trying to cover its heavy meaning with the “ _Welcome home, pal._ ”. After that, he lost all control. He had no idea how Sam still hadn’t said anything because the mess inside of him was visible. Dean felt like a coward, sure, but his feelings were towards Cas and he had no idea how to act properly when it came to that dorky angel.

Deep down all Dean wanted was to give himself into his feelings. And little did he know that Cas only wanted the same thing.

Dean caught his own attention back when Cas called him and asked why was he dragging the spoon against the bottom of the pan so hard. He smiled apologetically and tried his best to focus only on the task in hand.

Later, when Cas was finishing to peal the last potatoes, he almost startled by looking to the side and noticing that Dean was standing right there, holding a filled spoon towards him. Cas frowned with a questioning look.

“Try it.” Dean said and led the spoon closer to Cas’ mouth, absolutely focusing on the chapped lips.

Castiel opened his lips and let Dean give him the sauce. The warm liquid slid from the spoon to his tongue easily.

“In a scale of “okay” to “bad” molecules, how is it?” Dean asked quietly, lifting his eyebrows and smiling.

Cas licked his lips and sighed. “Really okay molecules.” He said, looking straight into Dean’s expecting eyes.

“Good to know.” Dean huffed a laugh and squeezed Cas’ shoulder, his fingers lingering in place once again before he walked back to the stove.

“Bathroom is free!” Sam yelled from the corridor, his voice echoing on the hallways.

“You think you can keep an eye on things while I shower?” Dean asked, coming closer to Cas again to wash his hands on the sink.

“Of course.” Cas nodded. “Is there something that needs to be turned off soon?”

“No.” Dean said, looking back at the stove. “Just don’t let Sam in here, and if you do smell something burning, turn it off completely. I won’t take long.”

Castiel nodded again and received a pat on the back. He turned his head to watch Dean taking the sweater from the table and leaving the kitchen. He continued to prepare the potatoes as best as he could, smashing them until they became a pasty mixture. His mind drifted to the presents and he couldn’t lie… he was excited.

It was very nice to be able to celebrate something as nice and colorful as Christmas. It was nice to have people around that loved him, to celebrate the holiday with. A small smile spread on his lips and stayed there for the following minutes.

Not too long later Dean came back, humming a song Cas couldn’t name, but he had heard it before.

“How are things?” Dean asked, stopping by Cas’ side again and looking down at his messy hands. His arm went straight to Cas’ back, hand placed gently on his shoulder.

“Fine, I suppose.” Cas answered, looking at him with the corner of his eye. “I didn’t smell anything burning.”

Dean patted his shoulder and walked to the stove. Cas watched him for a second, taking in the cologne he just left hanging by his side and noticing how different Dean looked with that Christmas sweater covering his upper body.

With a bittersweet sigh, Castiel looked down at his potato-covered hands. He was undoubtedly happy, but that constant feeling of sorrow was still there. Probably because that one thing was missing… he just didn’t know what to do about it.

Cas cleaned his fingers on each other to get rid of the thicker layer of potatoes and then placed the bowl on the counter by his side. He washed his hands and dried them on the cloth hanging on the cabinet door. Dean was still humming that song.

“Do you need something else?” Castiel asked quietly.

“Not really. Things are pretty much ready, now.” Dean said without turning around.

“Well then I will go change.” With one last look in Dean’s direction, Cas walked to the table. “Call me if you need me.”

“Alright.” Dean said and this time looked at Cas, lingering his stare for a second, deciding what to say. “Thanks, buddy.”

Cas slightly lifted his head and tried to smile, but didn’t find in himself a reason to. He gave Dean a nod and left the kitchen with his lips pursed, hoping Dean hadn’t notice his sudden distress.

He went back to his bedroom and took off his trenchcoat, placing it carefully on the bed. With steady fingers, he undid his tie and placed it by his coat. His blazer went down his arms next, sliding towards his hands only to be held and also placed on the bed.

Castiel stared at the sweater for a couple of seconds.

His endless mourning over his feelings could continue on the following day. It was Christmas! He wanted to make nice memories and he wanted Jack’s experience to be the best one possible. So, with a sigh, Cas recomposed himself and put on the sweater. He walked to the mirror and adjusted the collar of his white shirt until it was placed over the collar of the sweater. He pulled the hem of both clothes until they were arranged correctly on his hip.

He went to the green couch by the dresser to get hold of the presents and smiled genuinely at the boxes, remembering its contents. He did the best he could with the wrapping paper and the laces, trying to do exactly as the internet videos told him. He got hold of everything and left his bedroom, going straight to the living room.

Music was softly playing from somewhere in the room. The Christmas rhythm was catchy and lovely, and the singer seemed to be that one guy he heard singing in the car with Dean once… _Elvis?,_ he squinted at his memory. Yes, Elvis. And that was the song Dean was humming earlier if he wasn’t mistaken.

With a new wave of fondness in his heart, Cas noticed Jack was already there, a huge smile on his face as he and Sam organized all the presents under the tree.

“I can’t wait to open them.” Jack said, shaking a box. “I wonder what I’ll get.”

Sam chuckled and patted Jack’s back before reaching for Cas’ presents to place them with the others.

“Looking good, Cas.” Sam smiled wide, lifting his eyebrows to indicate the sweater.

“Oh.” Cas looked down at himself and huffed a laugh. “Thank you. You both look lovely and spirited.”

When he looked to his side, Cas noticed one of the table was set with gorgeous, different cutlery and silverware. Wine glasses and some candles were placed there as well, giving it a fancy air.

“Everything looks very beautiful, Sam.” Cas said.

“Thanks, man.” Sam answered, looking up at him again with a smile. “I’ll go help Dean with the food.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Cas said quickly, raising both hands to tell Sam to stay there. “I can help him.”

Sam nodded and Cas made his way towards the kitchen, not knowing why he thought it was a good idea to purposely stay near Dean. At the door, he noticed that the pans were all at the table, ready to be taken to the living room. He stepped inside and saw Dean leaning against the counter, sipping from a mug.

“Hey, bud.” Dean said.

Castiel nodded once and walked closer to him. “Is everything ready?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m just resting for a sec.” Dean answered.

With another nod, Cas leaned against the counter with his lower back and both hands, keeping some space between them. They kept silent for a minute, Cas looking straight ahead and Dean sipping from his mug.

“I liked the sweater... looks great.” Dean said quietly, looking at Cas’ upper body covered with the knitted white and red.

“Thank you.” Cas said also looking down at himself, a small smile on his lips. “You, uh…” He started but cleared his throat. “You look very good.”

“Thanks.” Dean said and moved slightly closer. Cas looked up at him and noticed his smile, as well as the way pink was covering his neck around the collar of the sweater.

The silence started again once their eyes found each other and stood still for a second before starting to roam through lips, chin, cheekbones and back to the eyes.

“You want some?” Dean asked in almost a whisper, afraid of breaking the silence as he lifted his mug towards Cas and slid even closer to him.

Castiel lifted one arm and placed his left hand around the warm mug, fingers slightly tangling with Dean’s for a moment before he let go. Cas took a sip and the hot chocolate molecules slid down his mouth and throat, warming his vessel inside.

“How is it?” Dean asked and tentatively reached in between them to touch Cas’ fingers on the counter end. He didn’t know what he was doing, but the ringing in his ears was loud and he desperately wanted to hold Cas’ cold hand.

Cas immediately looked down and saw Dean’s fingertips cautiously trying to wrap themselves around the tips of his own fingers. An emotional turmoil began inside him, causing his ears to pulse and his blood to rush to random places, losing all control and capacity of coherence.

“Very good.” Cas mumbled while looking down at their hands.

Dean was sure he would combust in a heart attack at any second. No human heart could possibly beat that fast.

Cas lifted his eyes again, trying to smile with them but he was absolutely sure the mess inside him was the only thing visible there.

“There’s, uh, a little bit of chocolate over he…” Dean started, raising his free hand towards Cas’ mouth, watching as the blue eyes wandered from his eyes to his lips.

“Guys where’s the food?” Sam’s loud voice came from the hallway, getting closer.

Instantly Castiel stepped forward, separating their fingers and quickly placing the mug on the counter. Dean continued to look at him, now with heartache. Cas returned the stare for a second but as Sam walked inside the kitchen, he walked towards the table, grabbed the pie and a pan and walked out without a word.

He had to stop once he stepped outside the kitchen.

“What the hell?” Sam asked from inside. “Did you guys fight again?” His voice poured worry in the air.

“Shut up, Sam.” Dean answered, pulling one pan from under another and causing a thumping noise. “We were just talking.”

Sam snorted in response and mumbled something. Cas then took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes with pursed lips before walking again.

That had to stop. It was too much.

Ever since he came back from the Empty, Dean was coming to him sometimes and touching him like that. He would caress his shoulder, slightly touch his cheek, take a strand of hair from his forehead… and then there was nothing for days, going back to silent treatments and stupid, unnecessary fights.

Castiel placed the food on the table and smiled at Jack before sitting on an armchair and drifting back to the thoughts. He had to say something… he _wanted_ to say something. He had to put himself on the headlight and let Dean know, because living with that constriction in his chest was becoming more than he could handle.

If nothing happened between them, he knew he could handle his own heartbreak because nothing mattered more to him than Dean being okay and comfortable. He would be fine eventually… how broken could an angel’s heart become, anyway?

When Cas went back to reality, he noticed that Sam and Dean were chatting easily with Jack, already sitting at the table. He got up and joined them.

Sam opened a bottle of wine and served them all. After that, Dean started serving the food into their plates, and they easily got into a conversation about how Dean and Sam used to love winter when they were kids because of the snow.

The tree gave the room a completely different atmosphere. Just its presence made it feel like a big family actually lived there, and the feeling got to their hearts, warming them and encouraging the celebration.

Dean kept on glancing towards Cas, hoping he wasn’t angry or upset. Cas tried to avert his eyes and avoid looking at Dean’s general direction but he seemed drowned to the green eyes somehow. Perhaps it was the sweater… the white and red had to be the reason to his need to steal glances.

At one point, when they were already taking the dishes back to the kitchen and loading the dishwasher, Jack requested a deeper explanation about Santa Claus. Sam sat by his side on the floor and told him what he could, making sure to tell him about Krampus and the time they thought they were dealing with him.

Cas watched them from the door, observing the way Jack’s eyes drifted towards the tree and the presents when Sam talked about it, and the way his blue eyes sparkled due to the lights and enthusiasm.

After that, he sat on an armchair to listen while Sam told Jack about other traditions such as caroling on neighborhoods and playing secret Santa with friends and family. Dean joined them soon after, bringing eggnog in small glasses. He sat on the arm of the chair Cas was sitting at, and once Sam and Jack were deep into conversation, Dean placed his right hand on the back of Cas neck and caressed his skin a couple of times, causing a spark to go down his spine while painting his neck and cheeks in pink.

After half an hour and three cups of eggnog, Jack yawned loudly and hiccupped, causing everyone to chuckle.

“I believe alcohol makes me sleepy.” Jack whispered at them. His eyelids seemed heavy and he had a silly smile on his face.

“Let’s get this away from you, then.” Sam said, trying to hold back laughter. He took the glass from Jack and offered him a hand to get up.

“Thank you, uncle Sam.” Jack mumbled as he stumbled forward and Sam rushed to hold his shoulders.

Sam huffed an emotional laugh and looked at Dean and Cas with a soft smile. “No problem, kid.” He said, looking back at Jack and placing an arm around his shoulders. “I’ll put him in bed then I’ll tuck myself in.” He continued, guiding the teenager towards the hallway. “Night guys. Merry Christmas in advance.”

“Night, Sammy.” Dean answered.

“Good night, Sam.” Cas said, getting up.

“This was fun… I can’t believe we never did it before.” Dean said, following Cas with his eyes.

“Yes, it was.” Cas agreed. “Well, we do have the future to do it again.” He smiled at Dean’s direction and got hold of three dirty glasses to take them to the kitchen.

When Cas started walking, Dean got his own glass and the jar from the floor, turned off the lights and followed him.

Everything was placed in the sink and left for the following day. Dean focused his eyes on Cas, thinking of something to say to make him stay. In the meantime Cas tried to find in himself an excuse to go to his bedroom since he knew that “feeling tired” wouldn’t work.

“Cas, uh…” Dean started, stepping towards Cas but not knowing exactly what to say.

“I think I’ll get some sleep now.” Cas interrupted him and watched as Dean’s lips pursed while he nodded. “Jack will be very electric tomorrow.” He huffed a laugh and walked towards the door.

Dean’s mouth hanged open with unspoken and unknown words. “Night, Cas.” He mumbled, finally looking away from Cas.

Castiel walked in quick strides towards his bedroom and once he was inside, he closed the door with a sigh, leaning his forehead against it. He turned around after a minute and noticed the small box on his dresser, the lace curving around it.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Then walked to the dresser, got hold of the present and went back to the door. He silently walked on the hallway and when he was five steps away from Dean’s room and considering turning around, Dean walked out of his bedroom and saw him.

“Hey.” Dean said with a small smile. He was holding a small, colorful paper bag.

“Hello.” Cas said quietly.

“I wanted to talk to you for a minute.” Dean continued, a hopeful spark on his eyes and voice.

“And I to you.” Castiel told him. “We could go to the living room if you want.”

“Let’s just go in my bedroom.” Dean shrugged and looked to the side. “We’re already here.”

Cas nodded and walked in the bedroom. Dean waited for him to enter and closed the door, then sat on the bed and gestured for Cas to do the same.

“I got you something else other than the present for tomorrow morning.” Castiel said, feeling more nervous than ever before. And that was saying something considering he had fought many important battles.

“Great minds think alike.” Dean grinned and pointed to the bag he was holding. The weight of anxiety was heavy in his chest.

Cas motioned to give Dean his present, but held himself back. “First I, uh… I need to say that this has a special meaning to me, and I hope you can feel what I feel.”

“I’m sure I will.” Dean said and swallowed thick.

Cas handed Dean the box. It had the size of his hand and it was covered in bright green wrapping paper, the lace was twice its size, a sparkling red. Dean smiled as he got hold of it. Carefully, he opened the lid and his eyebrows raised in wonder and curiosity.

“That is a leaf and a seed from the first tree I planted here on earth.” Cas said, almost whispering. “I kept it like that, preserved it in glass with the promise that if I ever had a human to protect and care for, having a bond, I’d give it to them.”

Dean’s eyes went from the thumb-sized piece of thin glass inside the box to Cas and back. They were shining bright.

“Fuck, Cas…” Dean sighed emotionally. He wanted to hug Cas. Or kiss him. Probably both and preferably at the same time. “This is… I… I don’t know, man.”

“Did you not like it?” Cas’ eyes widened in fear. “You don’t have to keep it. I mean, it’s just a piece of glass and some…”

“Shut up, Cas.” Dean chuckled and lifted one hand to get rid of a treacherous tear running down his right cheek. “It’s amazing.”

Cas sucked in a breath and looked at Dean in relief. “I placed a little piece of wire and chains on it, so you can use it as a key chain or a necklace, whatever you want.” He said, pointing at the object.

“I’ll have it with me.” Dean assured him and looked up at Cas with a smile, bracing himself for the words he wanted to say. “Thank you, Cas. Thank you so much for this. And for everything else you did for me.”

Castiel nodded and retuned the smile. Dean took the piece of glass from the box and looked at it closely. The half-green/half-orange leaf was perfectly placed inside the glass, the brown seed stood at the end of its short stem. Dean lifted it to his neck and closed the clasp around it.

“My thing is probably not as thoughtful as yours but well… I tried.” Dean chuckled and handed Cas the paper bag.

“Don’t diminish yourself, Dean.” Cas said with a playful squint. He reached inside the bag and took from it a small box similar to the one he gave Dean. “Exchanging gifts is exciting.” Cas chuckled, looking at Dean.

Dean laughed in return and held both hands over his own lap, twisting his fingers together anxiously.

A gasp escaped Cas’ throat once he opened the box. He stared down at it for a couple of seconds and then lifted them towards Dean.

“Remember I stabbed you when we met?” Dean said nervously and smiled apologetically at Cas’ nod. “Well I had that knife melted... I was missing you like hell after you died, so I sent it to a jeweler and told him what I wanted out of the silver.”

Cas got hold of the necklace and the pendant swung with the movement. He lifted it closer to his eyes to examine. It was a solid, small but long rectangle, and each facet of it contained an engraving.

One of them read 09.18.2008, the day Cas came to earth and met Dean. He smiled emotionally at the object and turned it on his fingers. On the opposite side of the date inscription, there was his name. The other two sides of it had engravings in Enochian; one of them said “angel” and the other “human”.

“Dean, this is beautiful… and so thoughtful of you. Thank you.” Cas whispered as tears rolled down his face. A wave of relief came onto Dean with the knowledge that Cas had liked it.

Dean gestured for Cas to give the object to him. He leaned forward and placed the necklace around Cas’ neck, locking it and adjusting until it hanged perfectly against his chest. Castiel placed his hand over the pendant and sighed happily with his eyes closed.

Damn emotions.

Dean shifted closer to him, and Cas opened his eyes just in time to see Dean kissing the side of his face, closer to his ear than to his cheekbone.

“Merry Christmas, Cas.” Dean whispered against his skin and Cas closed his eyes again.

With a surge of need and courage, Castiel turned his head to the side and their lips brushed against each other, barely touching. His hand grabbed Dean’s sweater tight, silently screaming for him to do something, to make that leap instead of him.

“I…” Cas sighed, his eyes closed and squeezing.

“Yeah.” Dean answered and closed the millimeter they had between them, placing a full kiss on the chapped lips.

The gesture wasn’t as desperate as they were feeling. The fireworks and explosions remained inside their chests and minds, leaving the gentleness entirely to their lips.

That one simple kiss, the simple touch of lips proved that they fit together perfectly.

Castiel gasped before moving his lips against Dean’s with more intention and as best as he knew, pouring every ounce of love and affection on the slides and pecks. Quickly, the flesh was red and swollen, sending sparks towards his brain with every touch. Dean’s lips were soft and caring, and somehow seemed to fulfill every need Castiel had.

Dean’s heart was thumping like a tambour while every single receptor in touch with Cas’ skin fired stimulation towards his brain. All he could think was to keep going, to drown on those feelings and touches because that was exactly what he needed in order to be alive.

Their hands made sure to pull at each other until they were chest to chest, feeling the way it came forward and went back rhythmically while trying to keep up with the shared breaths and gasps in between kisses.

When the need for air became too much, Dean placed his hand on Cas’ cheek and pecked his lips while trying to lean back. Castiel whined at the loss of contact, returning the pecks and pulling at Dean’s sweater one last time before letting go and leaning back himself.

“I’m sorry.” Cas mumbled in a whisper.

“I just gotta… breathe for a moment… some of us are human, you know?” Dean said playfully, placing his forehead against Cas’.

Castiel sighed a laugh and licked his own lips, tasting the last bits of Dean.

They stayed in silence for minutes, relishing on the small contact of foreheads.

“I want to be with you, Dean.” Cas whispered and sighed painfully, trying to hold back tears. “I…” He swallowed the lump on his throat and squeezed his eyes shut even harder, shaking his head.

“Hey.” Dean said softly and leaned back. He pushed his happiness to the side for a single moment in order to reassure Cas. He gently touched Cas’ cheeks with both hands and used his thumbs to caress them until Cas opened his watery, sad eyes. “I want to be with you, too, Cas. I’ve wanted that for a while now.”

Cas’ chest seemed to untie a big knot at that moment. He gasped and placed both hands on Dean’s arms, holding tight. “Dammit Dean.” He said.

“I know.” Dean said with a chuckle and kissed both Cas’ eyelids, allowing the happiness back in. “We’re idiots but now we’re here, okay?”

Castiel nodded. “Together?” He asked, still not believing. “Can we be together?”

“We already are.” Dean said and leaned forward again, catching Cas’ lips on a strong, meaningful kiss, even pushing him slightly back.

Cas felt heat cursing through his being and he let himself be led by Dean, laying back on the bed. With his hands now on Cas’ hips, Dean broke the kiss and stared into the blue eyes as he adjusted himself comfortably by Cas’ side.

“I don’t want to do anything sexual today.” Cas whispered in worry.

“Good.” Dean said, smiling. “’Cause I kinda want to take you out for a date first.”

Castiel smiled and lifted his head to kiss Dean. “But I want to be close to you if that’s okay.” He continued, caressing Dean’s arm. “And I want to kiss you some more.”

Dean nodded in between a smirk, his thumbs caressing the skin on Cas’ hipbone. “You don’t ever have to worry. We’ll do those other things in due time.” He said and pecked Cas’ lips. “Right now we can just make out and cuddle.”

Cas nodded and after a second, gave Dean a mischievous smile. “I would never take you for a cuddle man.” He teased.

“That’s ‘cause I’m not.” Dean faked a scowl.

“Sure.” Castiel winked and gently placed both hands on Dean’s neck to bring him down for another kiss.

The make out continued for minutes, until Dean felt like he needed more air than he was getting.

“Let’s make the bed, okay?” He said in a breathless chuckle, lifting himself up and pulling Cas with him by the hand.

While Cas took the boxes from the bed and placed them on the table, Dean walked to the dresser and got two pajama pants from a drawer and two old t-shirts from another. He gave Cas one of each and they both changed into the sleep clothes, stealing glances.

Their presents hanged on their chests, shining when the light hit on the right angle.

Dean pulled the blanket towards the end of the bed and slapped on the pillows until he decided they were comfortable enough. Cas stood on the other side of the bed, watching him and waiting.

“C’mon.” Dean said with a smile as he laid down and opened his arms.

Castiel retuned the smile and sat before placing his head on Dean’s right bicep, adjusting himself so that he could kiss Dean while still being close. Dean pulled the blanket over their bodies and put his other arm around Cas, caressing his back while his lips touched Cas’ again.

It was all so easy and gentle. Anyone that saw them would doubt that the pair consisted of an angel of the Lord and a hunter of supernatural creatures. The way their lips slid against each other and their hands roamed freely on each other’s bodies for the first time seemed like the only thing they were sure of in life. Small gasps escaped Cas every time Dean slightly bit his lip or touched his earlobe, and Dean couldn’t help but shiver and quietly sigh whenever Cas’ strong hands slid from the nape of his neck to his lower back.

Eventually, they found themselves pecking each other’s lips lovingly, nuzzling cheeks and chins, breathing in deep and scooting closer to relish on every possible contact.

“Can I hold your hand when we’re not in the bedroom?” Cas asked in a whisper as his lips touched Dean’s jaw on a gentle kiss.

“Of course you can, Cas.” Dean answered, sliding his legs further in between Cas’.

“And we can kiss?” Cas wondered.

“Yeah.” Dean mumbled and squeezed his arms around Cas. “Anytime.”

Castiel sighed contently and continued with his eyes closed. Dean’s warmth was making him sleepy somehow. He took the opportunity and let all his defenses down, allowing feelings to surface so he could sleep for a while.

“We can do all the couple stuff.” Dean continued after spending minutes imagining him and Cas together. “Just not cheesy stuff in front of Sam ‘cause I don’t want him teasing me.” He huffed a laugh.

“We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with just because I enjoy it.” Cas said. “Never hesitate to talk to me about that. Or about any other thing.”

“Same here.” Dean answered, the words slipping slowly from his lips. “We can make this work even if I’m a constipated ass.”

“You’re not.” Cas mumbled, almost falling asleep.

“If you keep saying that I might believe it eventually.” Dean said in return.

“Good.” Cas whispered and pecked Dean’s lips. “Good night, Dean. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, baby.” Dean mumbled before giving himself into sleep. “Night.”

 

***

 

There was no sunlight to wake them up in the bunker, so if it wasn’t for Jack screaming on the hallway, they all might’ve slept in.

“What about now?” The kid screamed for the third time. “Can I open them now?”

Sam mumbled something, seeming to be following Jack towards the living room.

Dean groaned, looked at his phone on the bedside table to see it was 07:19 and turned towards the middle of the bed. When he opened his eyes, he saw Cas’ swollen eyelids still closed and hiding the vivid blue.

A smile fought its way through his grumpy state and opened itself in Dean’s lips. He took his left arm from under the blanket and gently put back up a strand of dark hair that was trying to stick to Cas’ forehead.

Castiel immediately stirred and sighed, shifting forward. He opened one eye and caught Dean’s stare.

“Hmm?” He mumbled.

“Morning.” Dean said. He probably would’ve chuckled if it wasn’t so early. “Jack is screaming outside asking to open the presents.”

Cas opened his other eye at that, widening them in worry. He should be out there with Jack. He moved to turn around and get up, but Dean held him by placing an arm around his middle.

“Nope. Too early.” Dean said and nuzzled Cas’ neck, wrapping himself around his warm body.

“But Jack is…” Cas tried.

“Sam is there with him.” Dean assured him with a kiss to his pulse point.

Castiel finally nodded and relaxed. “Okay.” He whispered.

For minutes he allowed himself to be there, feeling Dean’s skin against his, Dean’s breathing against his neck, Dean’s hands on his back… just finally feeling Dean against him.

“Good morning.” Cas said when he noticed he never answered Dean before.

“Are you okay?” Dean asked. “Did you sleep all night?”

“I am fine. And I did sleep all night.”

Dean tensed. “Why?”

“I let my guard down. Allowed the feelings and senses to come to surface… looks like I was as tired as my vessel.” Cas explained, caressing Dean’s back to calm him.

Dean hummed in agreement and shifted, leaning back to look at Cas properly. “So, uh… we’re good?” He asked, eyes wandering from Cas’ eyes to his lips, insinuating their previous night.

“Absolutely.” Cas answered and leaned forward to kiss Dean.

With that sloppy, loving morning kiss, they were both certain that things were looking up, that they were on the same page and ready to make things differently.

A knock on the door ended what would have been a new make out session. Dean sighed in annoyance and laid back on his pillow, squeezing the corner of both eyes with his fingers. Cas watched him with an amused smile, holding himself up on his elbow and forearm while his other hand caressed Dean’s stomach.

“Dean?” Sam’s voice came and there was a new nock. “Dean, are you awake?”

“What is it, Sam?” Dean answered, his voice spilling irritation.

“Do you know where Cas is?” Sam asked. His voice was careful, as if he was giving Dean bad news. Cas couldn’t help but wonder if Sam had done that before when Cas had left without saying anything.

“Why?” Dean asked as an answer.

“Well, he’s not in his bedroom and Jack is asking for him.” Sam explained.

Dean sighed and took his hand from his eyes to look at Cas and nod. They both started to sit up and lean against the headboard.

“Come on in, Sammy.” Dean said and the door opened slightly, a frowning Sam poked his head inside.

“Oh.” Sam gasped in surprise once he spotted Cas in pajamas by Dean’s side. “Cas is… with you? Uhm, in here. Yes. Okay.”

“Where is he, Uncle Sam?” Jack’s voice came from the hallway and Cas smiled.

“Get in here, Jack.” Dean called and took Cas’ hand in his.

Jack walked inside and stood by the door, looking at them with his usual calm expression. Sam stood there looking between them with a frown. Dean found that weird. He was pretty sure Sam would make a big deal out of the situation.

“So, uh…” Dean said and cleared his throat.

“You guys are dating now?” Sam asked, still frowning.

Castiel looked at Dean for confirmation of the word. “Yes.” Dean said while looking at Cas, then he glanced at Sam suspiciously. “I thought you were gonna be a little louder about it?” He said.

“Forgive me if I can tease you immediately.” Sam said, raising his index finger. “Give me like two minutes.”

Dean grimaced at Sam and noticed the smirk rising on his lips. There it was.

“Jack.” Cas started. “Dean and I are…”

“Boyfriends.” Jack said, matter-of-factly. “I know what boyfriends are. And girlfriends. Actually, I know about all relationships and its types. Well… I know everything that Sam told me when Dean left for that hunt.”

Cas’ lips parted in surprise, and so did Dean’s. Sam smiled at Jack and then at Dean and Cas.

“I made hot chocolate.” Sam said pointing his thumb behind himself. Everyone nodded and then Sam looked directly at Jack. “We could go open the presents and laugh about how Dean finally sucked it up and got a boyfriend.” He said with a big smirk and a wiggle of eyebrows.

Before Dean could protest, Sam dragged Jack out of the bedroom and closed the door.

“Loser.” Dean mumbled.

Castiel smiled at Dean and squeezed his fingers, using his free hand to caress Dean’s arm until he reached his neck.

“As much as I want to stay here and kiss you, we should go enjoy the other Christmas morning traditions.” Cas said and gave Dean’s lips a kiss.

Dean nodded and they both got up. Still on pajama pants and t-shirts, they headed towards the living room. Dean stopped at the bathroom while Cas continued the path.

Sitting at the same armchair from the previous evening, Cas watched as Jack shook many of the presents and Sam sipped from his mug. The Christmas songs once again playing around them.

When Dean arrived, he got a cup of hot chocolate and walked to Cas’ armchair, motioning for him to scoot over so they could sit together. The whole thing ended up being a cuddle that took smirks and funny looks from Sam.

“Go on, Jack.” Dean said, placing his arm around Cas’ neck and kissing his cheek. “Open your presents before you combust.”

“Can mine be last?” Castiel asked, feeling nervous. Jack’s face fell, but he nodded anyways.

Jack got hold of the three presents with his name tagged and chose the big box to open first. He ripped the wrapping paper and gasped loudly.

“No way!” He said, staring at the present. “It’s the _Millennium Falcon_!”

Sam smiled big. “It’s made of Lego. There are thousands of little pieces and you can build the ship yourself.” He explained

Jack’s eyes widened with every word. “Really? This is awesome!” He exclaimed.

Cas chuckled quietly at how similar to Dean Jack sounded while saying that.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Sam.” Jack said and then stopped himself. “Wait. You really are my uncle now!”

“Yeah.” Sam said happily and raised his hand, expecting a high five.

Jack clapped his hand on Sam’s and then got up to hug him.

Mysteriously, Jack didn’t ask anything about Dean also being his father now that he was dating Cas. Cas thought that maybe Sam had said something, asked him not to mention that just yet.

“Okay now mine.” Dean said anxiously.

Getting hold of the two-package gift, Jack smiled genuinely at Dean. The wrapping paper went to the air once again.

“An Encyclopedia?” Jack asked, curiously eyeing Dean. “What is that?” He started roaming through random pages.

“It’s an alphabetically arranged book that gives you information about stuff… anything, really. It’s like a bigger and more profound dictionary.” Dean explained.

“Wow.” Jack looked at the book in wonder. “This is very cool! Humans are very intelligent.”

“Open the other one.” Dean prompted excitedly. Cas caressed his knee, watching the exchange with affection.

“A sword!” Jack gasped, holding a brand new angel blade.

Everyone chuckled and Jack frowned.

“That is an angel blade, Jack.” Cas explained. “We all have one. It kills almost anything.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Dean.” Jack said, getting up to hug him as well.

“No problem, kid.” Dean said and patted Jack’s back. “We’ll teach you how to fight and then you can carry the blade. For now, keep it with the other ones.”

Jack nodded and looked expectantly at Cas.

“My present for you also is in two parts.” Cas started, getting up and sitting with Jack on the floor. He pointed to the box by Jack’s side. “That one first.”

Eager, Jack shook it, opened the box and gasped once again. He took the snow globe from inside and inspected it closely. “This is so beautiful.” He whispered, watching as small white points danced around a small house surrounded by trees.

“Since you’re new to everything, I thought maybe you’d like to start some sort of collection.” Cas said. “I read that it can make people feel like they have a purpose. I used to collect key chains when I was human, and it was nice so… I don’t know.”

“Thank you, father.” Jack said emotionally. “I want to start a collection.”

Cas nodded with a smile and pointed to the other one. It was flat, thin and it had the size of a paper sheet. Jack carefully opened it and frowned deeply when he saw that it actually was paper inside. He looked up at Cas.

“When I came back, Sam told me about how you chose me to be your father. I accepted that with love and disposition, and I want to give you the choice of being officially my child.” Cas said and felt Dean’s hand on his shoulder. “These are papers to register you as my son.”

Jack’s chest was quickly moving, his eyes wandering from Cas to the papers. After seconds of looking down, his eyes met Cas’ and tears were there, starting to roll down his cheeks and into his Christmas sweater.

“I want to.” Jack said, nodding. “I want you to be my father. I want to be your son.” He said decidedly before launching himself over Cas’ chest, hugging him tight and crying some more tears.

Cas caressed his back and tried hard to hold back his own tears. He looked at Dean and Sam with a thankful smile, and mouthed his appreciation since they both had helped him with the papers months before.

“Does that mean I’ll be a Winchester?” Jack asked, wiping his tears and sitting back on the floor.

“What are you talking about, kid?” Dean said, sliding to the floor and sitting by Cas’ side. “You’ve been a Winchester for a while now.” He completed and winked.

Jack smiled big. “I loved everything you gave me.” He said, looking between them all. “I feel grateful that you accepted me as a part of your family.”

“No problem, Jack.” Sam said.

“Now I want to know what you all got!” Jack said, gathering his presents and placing them on the table.

“Alright, me first!” Sam said and reached for two presents from the tree. He gave the long, rectangular box to Dean, and the square one to Cas.

“Damn!” Dean said, opening it. “A _katana_! This is awesome.” He took the sword from the box and gaped at the details. “Shit, Sammy, this is amazing. Thanks!” He smiled at Sam and stretched his arm to give Sam’s hand a grasp.

“You can put it on your bedroom wall with the other weapons.” Sam said. “I couldn’t help but buy it when I saw.” He chuckled and noticed that Cas was finishing to open his present, taking good care of the wrapping paper.

Cas smiled fondly and looked at Sam. “This is so thoughtful of you.” He said, taking _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ from inside the box, leaving a gap between the other books.

“I know you loved the first book and never got the chance to read the others so I just had to.” Sam said.

“Well, thank you.” Cas nodded meaningfully at him. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem!” Sam said happily.

Jack then sat back on the floor and reached for three presents, giving them to his family.

Dean laughed and excitedly looked through the Scooby-Doo game board and video game Jack bought him. In the meantime, Sam fought the urge to sit back and immediately start the read of the complete OZ collection he got from Jack. Cas on the other hand sighed emotionally while holding the blue sweater on his hands.

“Dad’s Christmas List:” Dean read aloud from Cas’ side. “1: Piece & Quiet” He continued before hugging Cas’ middle and laughing against his shoulder. “That suits Cas perfectly.”

“Thank you, Jack.” Cas said, squeezing Jack’s forearm. “I really loved it.”

“You’re welcome, father.” Jack answered with a genuine smile and leaned forward. “Did I do it right? The presents?” He asked, whispering towards Cas.

“Absolutely right.” Cas assured him. “You’re great at gifting.”

Jack leaned back with a proud smile.

Next, it was Cas’ and Dean’s presents. Sam got a statue of the Egyptian God _Thoth_ from Cas as an addition to his collection, and a _Ladyheart_ CD and DVD from Dean. Dean gave Cas a compilation of their favorite movies, _Tombstone_ being the first one on the box, followed by _Brokeback Mountain_. Dean laughed loudly when he opened the present Cas got him. There were two t-shirts in the package, one of them said “ _I’m your Huckleberry_ ”, with a cowboy hat on the last “y”, and the other had some parts of the lyrics from _Ramble On_.

With loving smiles, they thanked each other with a kiss.

“I’ll go get some pancakes ready, alright?” Sam said with a smirk, clearly trying to give them some space. “Jack, why don’t you come with me and bring the Lego so you can start building it on the table?”

Jack nodded excitedly and got hold of the box, as well as his other presents, and followed Sam.

“I’m very happy.” Cas said, leaning against the armchair and towards Dean’s side.

“Yeah?” Dean said and nuzzled Cas’ cheek while hugging his shoulders. “I’m glad to know that.”

“Thank you, Dean.” Cas mumbled. “For this holiday and for everything else.”

Dean leaned back to look at him and smiled before touching his lips to Cas’. “Thank you, Cas.” He whispered and kissed him.

After a minute, Dean got up with a grunt of annoyance towards his bones and lifted Cas with him. Dean walked to towards the radio and Castiel watched him fumbling with the object, waiting for the song to stop but instead, the intro of that same Elvis song began.

“ _Merry, merry Christmas baby. Sure did treat me nice._ ” Dean sang, dance-walking closer to Cas and wrapping an arm around his waist quickly, swinging both their bodies to the sound of the music.

“Dean…” Cas said with a squint, but Dean only hugged his body closer and continued to move with the song.

“Dance with me, baby.” Dean said.

Castiel huffed a laugh and gave in, placing both arms around Dean’s ribs and trying to keep up with the moves. Their smiles only grew wider. Dean sang the lyrics against the side of Cas’ face, words whispered into his ear. Cas’ hands caressed Dean’s back softly.

Their hips swung side to side, occasionally grinding and pushing. Elvis’ voice echoed on the walls, the rhythm pushing them closer and closer together. Dean’s leg was in between Cas’, trying to lead his movements. They were sure they had absolutely no grace on the dancing department, but just being close like that, with the shining Christmas tree by their sides and wrapping paper scattered all over the floor was gracious enough.

Eventually, Dean leaned his head back and looked straight into Cas’ smiling eyes.

“ _Well, I want to kiss you, baby. While you're standing 'neath the mistletoe._ ” Dean sang.

Cas licked his lips and looked up, seeing no mistletoe and shrugging with a smirk.

“Doesn’t matter.” Dean said and winked. “Nothing with us is by the book anyways.”

With that, their lips were attached, sliding together and building up to go deeper, to open and truthfully taste each other, creating an initial fumble of tongues before leveling their rhythm with the song’s.

The movement of hips never stopped, the instrumental parts of the song making impossible for them to stand still. The music went on, lulling them into a state of bliss on each other’s arms.

Dean broke the kiss and searched Cas’ eyes for almost a whole minute.

“What?” Cas asked, eyes wide with that characteristic beginning of worry.

“Nothing.” Dean said with an easy smile. “I just love you a lot.”

Cas’ eyebrows went up and all the words seemed to disappear from his mind. He sighed an emotional laugh and placed both hands on Dean’s jaw before kissing his lips multiple times while small laughs and gasps escaped his lips. “I love you.” He said in between kisses. “I love you, Dean. I love you so much.”

Dean was surprised. He had seen Cas reacting so emotionally only once or twice before. He squeezed Cas in his arms and made sure to lean into him as much as possible, returning the declarations eagerly.

Eventually, their kissing became deeper and more focused, excessively stimulating to be happening in the middle of the living room. Cas’ hands were glued to Dean’s sides, gripping his ribs and lower back while Dean’s arms were around Cas’ neck, fingers threading and pulling on his hair.

Suddenly, Cas stepped back with his chest heaving, watching Dean struggling to regain his breath. The pop caused by the separation of their lips hanging in the air.

“No more dancing or kissing like that until I take you on a date.” Dean said decisively, trying to calm his body.

Cas chuckled. “Okay.” He said and took a deep breath. “When will that be?”

“Soon… definitely won't be later than tomorrow.” Dean said, shaking his head. Cas decided the flush suited him.

Castiel nodded and offered Dean his hand.

“Let’s go have breakfast.”

 

***

 

“Oh no.” Jack whined, causing everyone to stop eating and look at him in confusion. “I bought us all red Christmas hats but I forgot to give them to you so we could use while we opened presents.” His face fell.

“We can use them now if you want.” Cas offered, ignoring Dean’s groan.

Jack smiled excitedly and left the kitchen.

“Hey, uh…” Sam started, getting Dean and Cas’ attention as he placed his fork on his plate. “I didn’t say it before but for real… I’m happy for you guys.”

Castiel smiled and Dean got hold of his hand under the table.

“I thought you’d make a fuss when you saw us.” Dean said with a huffed laugh.

“I was kind of paralyzed for a second.” Sam said with an awkward frown. “I guess I was surprised because I thought it would never happen, you know?” He continued and Dean threw him a bitchface. “To be honest the eye-fucking wasn’t even the big problem. I just hated seeing you both miserable when you could obviously suck it up and be happy together. I’m glad you’re finally giving that a chance.”

Dean only nodded, his brother’s words sinking in as he squeezed Cas’ hand.

“Thank you, Sam.” Castiel said.

Before Dean could say anything, Jack stormed into the kitchen holding the red hats. He gave one for each of them and placed one on his own head.

“I would like to take a picture.” Jack said.

“That’s a great idea.” Sam said excitedly, putting on his hat. He knew Cas wouldn’t say no to Jack, so he took the opportunity to start his dreams of building family memories. “We should go to the living room and sit by the Christmas tree.” He offered, getting up.

Jack agreed excitedly and they both left.

“You’re all suckers.” Dean complained while putting on his hat, but deep down he was drowning in the happiness to have a family to celebrate Christmas with. Cas, knowing him too well, knew that. He gave Dean’s lips a kiss and pulled him up by the hand before putting on his hat.

When they reached the living room, Jack had pulled the two loveseats from the other room together by the tree. Sam placed his phone on the table leaning against a candle and put on a timer for the camera. Jack sat, leaving a place for Sam at the right end by his side, Cas joined his son and Dean took the left end seat.

“Can you hold this with me?” Jack asked Cas, lifting the snow globe in between them. Cas nodded and placed his hand on the object to hold it with Jack.

“Ready?” Sam asked from the table. Everyone nodded so he pressed the button on the phone and ran to the couch.

The thirty seconds timer began and they stood still, when the last ten seconds started, Dean looked to the side and saw that Cas’ hat was crooked to the side, almost falling over his eyes. Laughter erupted from his chest, causing everyone else’s smiles to widen as the picture was taken. He couldn’t help but lean closer to Cas and kiss his cheek.

That was the first picture of the Winchesters that was hanged on the bunker walls. It stood in the space between the beginning of the hallway and the first bedroom.

The image received at least a second of attention every morning as they walked towards the kitchen and met up for breakfast. If it could speak, it would tell everyone about the soft eyes it got, about how Jack could finally feel the closeness and acceptance of his family. About how Sam felt like things could be okay for once. About how Dean couldn’t help but feel emotional and pull Cas closer to his body on the way to the bedroom. About the stolen kisses they shared. It would talk about how Cas’ eyes looked at it with a promise not to leave for good.

It would tell everyone about how things were nearing perfection because they decided to celebrate Christmas for the first time and build memories. They all appreciated the fact that it could not speak, though, because then, nothing could jinx their little bubble of happiness.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this as much as I did. You can talk to me here or on twitter (@mishdestiel... oh there's an aesthetic there for this story. It's pretty cute.)
> 
> Special thanks to @CupClaire, @beckstiel and @jmishmarii on twitter for helping me with ideas for some of the presents (encyclopedia, angel blade and dad papers respectively). Couldn't have done it without you lovely humans :)
> 
> Merry Christmas to everyone that celebrates! Have a blessed end of year! ♡


End file.
